Trees to breathe fresh air into town
centre
Work on a tree-planting scheme on the site of the new
multi-million pound health centre in Bromsgrove begins next week
(15th March).
Included in the planting scheme are new native
trees, shrubs and hedges to improve the 2-acre site and allow more
nature habitats to develop, which is in line with one of the town
centre regeneration project’s aims to improve and enhance green
spaces.
Bromsgrove District Council’s woodland officer
Andy Bucklitch said: “The Council has worked with the developers to
ensure that there are plenty of new trees included in the plans for
the new health centre, which will improve the area.”
One of the first tasks is to open up a row of
existing lime trees on the edge of the site along Market Street by
removing a row of overgrown Leylandii conifers that are restricting
the limes. Limes are a particularly effective species for air
quality and biodiversity, with the conifers particularly
ineffective in this regard. With the conifers restricting the more
attractive and eco-friendly lime trees, as well as blocking the
view to where the new health centre will be built, they are set to
be removed.
The obstructive conifers were originally
planted after the lime trees, to act as a screening hedge on the
boundary of the Parkside School site. However since Parkside School
closed the trees are not maintained, and as many gardeners will
know Leylandii need regular cut backs to control their rapid
growth. The trees have grown to dwarf their surroundings, and the
tendency of the species to cause problems even resulted in a change
in legislation in the Anti-Social Behaviour Act of 2003, a move
popularly dubbed the “high hedges act”.
Andy added, “It may seem odd that we are
removing trees in a tree-planting scheme, but a fantastic avenue of
lime trees is being strangled by these massive conifers, waiting to
be revealed. The removal of the conifers will allow the limes to
fulfil their potential, and in total there will be a net increase
in the amount of trees.”
